It feels like we just did this — but the goodly folks at Food Desert Recordings are at it yet again.

Released TODAY, Know Justice, Know Peace is a brand new compilation benefitting National Bail Out.

Various Artists – Know Justice, Know Peace: A Compilation in Support of National Bail Out (Food Desert Recordings, 26 April 2024)

From Food Desert Recordings‘ Bandcamp page:

The National Bail Out is a Black-led and Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers, and activists building a community-based movement to support our folks in abolishing pretrial detention systems and dismantling the prison industrial complex. They are people who have been impacted by cages — either by being in them themselves or witnessing their families and loved ones be encaged. They are queer, trans, young, elder, and immigrant.

The collective coordinates the Mama’s Day Bail Outs, where they bail out as many Black Mamas and caregivers as we can so they can spend Mother’s Day with their families where they belong! They provide fellowship and employment opportunities for those they bail out to support their growth and create a national community of leaders who have experienced incarceration. They also work with groups across the country to support ongoing bail reform efforts and create resources for organizers and advocates interested in ending pretrial detention.

To find out more about National Bail Out, please visit www.nationalbailout.org. All proceeds from this album will be donated to National Bail Out every month to help them achieve their mission. As always, thank you for your generosity and support.

Know Justice, Know Peace: A Compilation in Support of National Bail Out is available for purchase right now, right here.
 

 

 
Featured artists include:

Klaus Von Mork
Lovecraftian Potato
Gorgons Alter
The Rights
Educated Owls
HΔUNTED LOCKET
Champenoise
Tumultuous Ruin
Non Serviam
Through Mists
Hallucinogenic Bulb
Tenebrae Annex
Toxicodendron
Territorial Pissants
Double Hell Death Match
Witnesses

* * *

Food Desert Recordings: Bandcamp | bsky | Twitter | Instagram

I don’t really give conference talks anymore, but I had this idea bouncing around my head for a while which I thought would make a good one. So I recorded it as though I was giving a talk.

The idea is around how to develop An Inclusive Mindset as it relates to product design. How to build software which is comfortably useful to as wide a spectrum of your users as possible. I then illustrate this with a variety of concrete examples from my work building Pedometer++.

Y’all. It’s been a minute. What’s shakin’?

Our favorite Maryland-based non-profit charity record label recently dropped the latest in their series of benefit compilations, and I wanted to make sure you hadn’t missed out on this one.

Primarily consisting of dungeon synth and other closely-related (mostly) instrumental, (almost exclusively) synth-based sounds, Free Me from This Dungeon is on sale now with proceeds supporting the Safelight organization.

Various Artists – Free Me from This Dungeon: A Compilation in Support of the Safelight Organization (Food Desert Recordings, 23 February 2024)

From Food Desert Recordings‘ Bandcamp page:

Safelight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that provides support for survivors of interpersonal violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. They make it possible for families who want to be free of violent relationships to succeed. They make hope real.

Safelight gives individuals who have experienced interpersonal violence, sexual abuse, and child abuse a real second chance—an opportunity to redesign and better their lives. Today, due to Safelight‘s broad community support and partners, they are addressing needs in mental health, substance abuse, employment and housing. They provide not only immediate short-term help to children and adults in crisis but help them work towards long-term solutions.

To find out more about Safelight‘s mission, please go to www.safelightfamily.org. All proceeds from this album will be donated to the Safelight organization every month to help them achieve their mission. As always, thank you for your generosity and support.

Free Me from This Dungeon: A Compilation in Support of the Safelight Organization is available for purchase right now, right here.
 

 

 
Featured artists include:

Dreadwood Prophecies
Apparition Gauntlet
Dungeon Weed
Lunar Cult
Trǫlláss
Soot Rooster
The Human Veil (whom, you may recall, we’ve talked about before)
spaceseer
18 Slashes
Sanguine Sacrifice
Hermit Knight
Plague of Insomnia
MEGAFAUNA
Zireael

* * *

Food Desert Recordings: Bandcamp | bsky | Twitter | Instagram

We had quite a bit of weather earlier in the week (nor are we out of it, although Eclipse Day looks to be all right if the predictions hold) and as a result our yard flooded and we had a river running through it. Which is all right! In fact our yard is designed to channel overflow from a neighbor’s pond down our yard and toward a creek on the other side of the road from us. It happens a few times a year and, once the rain stops, it drains fairly quickly and efficiently.

And as a side effect, every now and again, when things dry up a bit, I find these: stranded bluegills in my yard. They are dead, alas for them, and today as I was walking Charlie, I found rather a few of them: at least a dozen, all near the treeline. Because I don’t want the dog to eat them whole, or the cats to drag their carcasses into the garage, I was obliged to chuck all that I found into the treeline, which was every bit as icky as it sounds. I hope not to do that again for a good long time. Also, one really does never get used to random fish in the yard.

So, that’s my Friday so far. How are you?

— JS